Sunday 24 November 2013 09.47 EST
First published on Sunday 24 November 2013 09.47 EST

Authorities in Bahrain say two former inmates of Guantánamo Bay have been arrested while crossing the border from Saudi Arabia, and charged with allegedly plotting attacks in the violence-wracked Gulf nation.

Sunday's statement by Bahrain's Interior Ministry did not identify the suspects and gave no further details. It said authorities arrested the pair on Saturday carrying forged passports while trying to cross into Bahrain on the causeway linking the country with Saudi Arabia.

Sunni-ruled Bahrain has faced near-nonstop unrest since February 2011, when its Shiite majority began an uprising seeking a greater political voice in the strategic kingdom, which is home to the US navy's 5th Fleet.

Bahrain plans to host a meeting of interior ministers from across the Gulf Arab states in the coming days.